Have you gotten your teeth bleached recently? Congratulations! You must love that dazzling new smile; however, now that you have it, you want to hold on to those pearly whites. No one blames you. While enjoying all that summer has to offer, remember these post-teeth whitening tips for keeping your smile at its best all season long.

1. Avoid Stain-Producing Foods and Beverages
This can be a major challenge. The minute summer rolls around you can’t seem to get enough of those luscious blueberries and raspberries. Unfortunately, these berries are only one of the stain culprits. If you want to keep your teeth-bleached smile, nix all berries, dark sauces, dark soft drinks, coffees, teas and wines. It’s can be difficult, but your smile will thank you.

2. Always Keep a Steady Oral Regime
Between hiking all day or camping for the weekend it can be difficult to remember to brush your teeth regularly; however, you’ll get the most out of your teeth bleaching if you still brush twice a day and floss once. We promise it won’t put a damper on your trip if you take a couple minutes to properly care for those gorgeous teeth of yours.

3. Rinse Your Mouth Out
We aren’t saying you’ve been bad! We’re telling you that after every meal it’s a good idea to rinse your mouth out with water. This is a good rule of thumb for both those who had a teeth whitening and those who haven’t yet. If you don’t have a toothbrush handy with you at all times, a good rinse with water should do the trick until you can get home and brush.

4. Protect Your Mouth
If you plan to play sports during the summer months, make sure to wear proper protection. A mouth guard will ensure that your smile isn’t hurt while you’re enjoying a good game of touch football at your cousin’s barbeque. You want to keep those beautiful white teeth as long as possible. Plus, you wouldn’t want to lose a permanent tooth because you didn’t keep them safe.

5. Put A Limit on All That Sugar
This harkens back to our first tip a bit. It’s hard when it’s sweltering outside and you hear the ice cream man coming down your street. Popsicles and ice cream are at its peak during these warm months, which takes a toll on your smile. Not only will sugar counteract that beautiful teeth bleaching, but it will also affect your tooth’s enamel, which could lead to tooth decay. So this summer, just say no to all that sugar.

Have you had your whitening done at our Charlotte cosmetic dentist office? Do you have any additional tips that we might have left out? We welcome any helpful advice from other teeth whitening lovers.